My Gastronomical Travels- Germany and Traditional German Food

I lived in Germany for three years, 1994 to 1997, as an Air Force Captain stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base.  Spangdahlem is located in the Eifel region of Germany, near Luxembourg and Belgium, and fairly close to Holland and France. 

In the military we say, “Embrace the local culture.”  For me, this certainly includes food, and I always do my fair share of embracing when it comes to food!  I very much enjoyed traditional German food. 

I’m going to overview some common German foods, particularly those that I enjoyed.  The food photos are from Flickr.com Creative Commons, but I chose them very carefully.  As in most countries, there may be variations of the same dish, depending on what part of the country you are in.  I have tried to ensure that I have chosen pictures of German food, prepared and eaten in Germany.  In a few cases, the dishes do not look like what I experienced, which I’ll also note. 

I’ll also tell you about a few great festivals and some of the interesting places I’ve eaten in Germany.  Many of these photos are my [old] photos.  I’ll continue adding personal photos over the next day or so, but the scanning process is slow! 

It would be hard to find a food that represented traditional German food better than sausage. Don’t boo and hiss, but I’m not a sausage fan, German or otherwise. It’s a texture thing for me. I did however frequently get to examine German sausages up close as my then-spouse loved “wursties” of all kinds. His mother is German, so he grew up with them. I’m not sure that we ever encountered a sausage he didn’t like.

Many of the German sausages are eaten with potatoes and sauerkraut, or with mustard and hard rolls. Interestingly the rolls are small and short even if the sausage is long and skinny.

Bratwurst or rostbratwurst sausage is made of finely minced pork and beef.

Nuremburger sausage is a small, thin version of rostbratwurst, and the only German sausage that I eat.  I think because they are skinny, they grill more thoroughly and are more chewy.  I still love them, and thankfully can get them at the military commissary. 

Blood sausage is made from congealed blood of pigs or cows, with fillers such as fat, bread, or oatmeal.  Yes, the spouse liked this one too. 

Bockwurst or frankfurters are made of veal, pork, or other meat.  They are typically long, and are boiled. 

Knockwurst or knackwurst are all beef sausage, sometimes smoked.  They are short and fat. 

Weiβwurst or white sausage is made with bacon and veal.  They are typically boiled and eaten without the skin. 

Leberwurst or liverwurst is made of pork and pork liver, and is spreadable. 

Leverkäse or liver cheese does not contain liver or cheese!  It is made of pork, corned beef, and onions.  It is baked and served in thin slices, and is like a pink meatloaf. 

Other German sausages include Bregenwurst, Landjäger, Teewurst, and Gelbwurst. 

The most widely known schnitzel is probably Wiener Schnitzel, originating in Austria.  “Wiener” is German for Viennese, a nod that it is from Vienna.  Strictly speaking, Wiener Schnitzel is a veal cutlet, but certainly in Germany schnitzel is likely to be pork.  Preparation is usually the same though, with cutlets dipped in flour, egg, and bread crumbs, then fried in butter or oil. 

Reportedly, schnitzels can also be made with sliced turkey breast or chicken breast.  Whether veal, pork, turkey, or chicken, cutlets are prepared by pounding them thin.  Most are coated with bread crumbs, but a few variations are not. 

Wiener schnitzel is typically served plain, without gravy or toppings.  Where I lived, schnitzel was typically fried in oil, but one of the favorite restaurants near base served a “butter schnitzel”.  Delicious but deadly, I think once was enough for that one. 

Jägerschnitzel or hunter’s schnitzel is topped with a mushroom gravy.  It can be a cream gravy or burgundy.  I’ve had jägerschnitzel many times, but have only had it with a dark mushroom gravy. 

Käse schnitzel is a schnitzel covered in cheese.  I’ve had this one many times also.  Two variations that I have eaten are California schnitzel, which had a peach half under the cheese, and Hawaiian schnitzel, which had a pineapple ring under the cheese.  I’m thinking I encountered these in Bavaria.  One time we were in route home, and had fabulous schnitzels at a German truck stop! 

Another schnitzel I encountered was rahm schnitzel, which is topped with a pepper cream sauce. 

There are other variations of schnitzel which I don’t recall seeing or trying. 

Sauerbraten and schweinebraten are traditional German foods of Austrian influence, and common in Bavaria.

Sauerbraten is usually made from a beef roast, although other meats can be used. The roast is typically marinated for a couple days in a mixture of vinegar, water, and spices. Sometimes wine is used. The finished product is an incredibly tender meat, with a sour taste from the vinegar.

Schweinebraten is oven roasted pork, usually a pork shoulder roast, cooked with vegetables, spices, and white wine or beer. The result is a flavorful tender meat.

I was able to visit Bavaria four or five times. I have eaten sauerbraten and schweinebraten several times in Bavaria, at the Hofbrauhaus and at Kehlsteinhaus restaurant.

Hofbrauhaus is probably one the largest beer drinking establishments on the planet. It’s certainly one of the most famous. The first Hofbrauhaus beer dates back to 1592. Today the Hofbrauhaus occupies several large floors. They have a full menu restaurant on the first floor, along with a polka band. Their website has full menus available in German and English.

Kehlsteinhaus is Hitler’s Eagles Nest. It has a spectacular 360º view. It is snowed in and closed most of the year, but I have been fortunate enough to visit three times. Their website has an abbreviated menu.

There’s an interesting phenomenon every year in Germany starting in late April.  Spargel, white asparagus is in season until early June.  Then in early June the pfifferlinge, or wild mushrooms, come in season through August.  The interesting part is that many restaurants overhaul their menus to highlight these seasonal superstars. 

On one of our trips to Bavaria, we lucked out and hit pfifferlinge season. There was a charming gasthaus on Autobahn 6, the “Romantic Road” that we stayed in several times. Their restaurant’s seasonal menu had about 6 pfifferlinge offerings. Most were egg dishes. We were very excited to have such good timing.

I think the spargel was more widely available.  I had it several times.  It was usually generously served with a sauce alongside a meat entrée.  I’ve bought spargel several times stateside. 

I went to a number of wine festivals and other similar events in Germany. They typically have the German version of food we would have at a State or County Fair. They often have carnival rides and live music entertainment.

An array of different sausages, giant pretzels, funnel cake, potato pancakes with applesauce, and Fries served with mayonnaise are typical traditional German food offerings available at these events. German beer is usually available, and of course the wine festivals have plentiful wine. Many American service men and women collect wine and make a shipment to the U.S. when they leave Germany.

In my three years in Germany, I never missed the Bernkastel Kues Wine Festival. This is a big annual event, but very well organized. You are directed to available parking. There are wine booths everywhere. You can buy tastes, glasses, or bottles. There is a big fireworks display at the end of the night.

Another favorite wine festival, “the Roman Road” wine festival, was in Schweich, near Trier Germany. I went to this one twice. It was a much smaller version of Bernkastel, but still has everything except the fireworks.

Rhine in Flames is an annual event with plenty of food and wine, and a huge fireworks display. It is a mockup of a big battle between rival castles. I only did this once. This was several hours from where we lived.

The village of Wittlich, near Spangdahlem, holds an annual Pig Fest for a week each year. This is another huge event. I only did this one once, and it was super crowded. The big difference here of course is that roasted pig is the food highlight.

A Visit to Oma

During the 3 ½ years I was stationed in Turkey (before my 3 years in Germany), I went to Germany three times for a week-long continuing education course put on by the Army for those of us doing school-based therapy in the Department of Defense Dependent Schools.  On one of these trips we went to see my (then) spouse’s grandmother near Braunschweig, Germany. 

Our second night there, Oma took us to her favorite gasthaus to eat.  I don’t recall how it came about that Oma decided to order for us, but she did.  Our entrées were individual loaves of what I now presume to be head cheese, or stiglmeier sulze.  This is usually various portions of “meat” from a pig’s head, suspended in gelatin. 

I’m definitely a “texture person” when it comes to food.  I always say, “If it don’t feel right in your mouth, it don’t matter what it tastes like.”  The gelatin alone would be offensive to me.  I rarely eat Jell-O, and only with lots of fruit.  Then there’s the matter of “parts”.  Non-lean meat and meat “parts” are very offensive textures to me.  I played around with the darned thing, and fished out a few pieces that looked like lean meat.  Oma asked my spouse what was the matter, didn’t I like it.  He told her that I was always watching my weight because of the Air Force, and didn’t eat much meat.  The next night she ordered me one of the biggest and best vegetarian meals I’ve ever had! 

A Visit to Old Friends

When we first got to Germany, my mother-in-law came to visit the first time (she goes to Germany every other year).  We drove to Bitburg Air Base and went to the housing unit they used to live in.  Then we decided to drive to the nearby village they lived in before they got into base housing.  Then eureka!  She spotted the house they used to live in, attached to the house of the German family they rented from.  She leapt out of the truck and ran up to the house and knocked.  Instant reunion!  They even broke out the champagne. 

They invited us back for Sunday dinner.  This was my first encounter with pflaumekuchen, or plum cake.  It was homemade and wonderful.  The other great thing we had was a smoked pork roast.  I always enjoyed smoked pork chops growing up, which we called “cured” pork chops, but I never saw a roast before!  Delicious. 

Sometimes it’s the Simple Things

I worked as a school therapist in Germany, so we had to take vacations in the summer and on Spring Break.  One year we went to Berlin for Spring Break, and it was bitter cold!  We stayed in a “Bed and Breakfast” which was actually in a high rise apartment building.  This older couple rented out their spare rooms. 

Breakfast was simple but memorable fare.  My (now ex-) spouse is a meat eater, but had no complaints on the meatless breakfasts!  Each morning we had a smorgasbord of multigrain and seed breads, muesli, jams, butter, and spreads made with fresh herbs.  Then it was off to the museum district! 

Apple Strudel

Were you wondering if I was going to mention apple strudel, or apfelstrudel? I don’t have a huge sweet tooth like my mom does, but I appreciate a good dessert. Would it be bad though to say that the best apple strudel I had was in Luxembourg?!

Fish

I’d also like to tell you that I had fish in restaurants many times in Germany and it was always good.

Wild Game

There are a fair few German restaurants that feature wild game like foul and boar. There is one close to the base in Bitburg that has a huge selection of game meat, and has at least some of the animals in enclosures on site.

Side Dishes in Germany

I’ve mentioned some traditional German side dishes with the meats above.  I’d just like to outline some side dishes in case you missed them.  

Potatoes are very common:  mashed potatoes, large round potato dumplings, and fries with mayonnaise. 

Spatzel is like dumpling droplets, or really small gnocchi. 

Sauerkraut is another very common side dish in Germany.  I continue to favor German sauerkraut.  It has a more mellow flavor, and is more finely shredded and crispy than kraut commonly available in American grocery stores.  I buy German sauerkraut on base at the commissary. 

Purple cabbage kraut is also popular.  It’s sweeter and milder than the regular sauerkraut.  I buy this from the commissary too. 

Eating “Foreign Food” in Germany

There are many German-run Italian restaurants that are fabulous.  I loved the tortellinis with spinach or broccoli, in cream sauces. 

I saw very few Chinese restaurants in Germany.  I tried one or two and they were not very good. 

I did not encounter many Mexican restaurants in Germany.  There was a little stand close to Bitburg, by a military spouse, that was pretty good. 

There are a lot of Turkish people living in Germany.  If you go to a Turkish restaurant near places like Trier, Frankfurt, and Berlin, you stand a good chance of getting authentic Turkish food. 

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